Spatial analysis of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) radial growth response to climate in northern Quebec - Labrador Peninsula, Canada

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Forest Research
• Main Authors: Nicault, A., Boucher, E., Tapsoba, D., Arseneault, D., Berninger, F., Begin, C., DesGranges, J. L., Guiot, Joel, Marion, J., Wicha, S., Begin, Y.
• Other Authors: Ecosystèmes continentaux et risques environnementaux (ECCOREV), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre européen de recherche et d'enseignement des géosciences de l'environnement (CEREGE), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Collège de France (CdF (institution))-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), University of Helsinki
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2015
• Subjects: [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; Canada; taiga
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01457735; https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2014-0080

International audience The aim of this study is to analyze the relationships between black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) growth and climate at a large spatial scale in North America's northeastern boreal forest. The study area (approximately 700 000 km(2)) is located in the taiga zone of the Quebec - Labrador Peninsula. A network of tree-ring chronologies from 93 black spruce populations was developed. A hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted to analyze tree-ring series affinities, and response functions were calculated to analyze relationships between tree rings and climate. The cluster analysis results showed well-marked spatial affinities among the tree-ring series. These affinities were strongly linked with the spatial variability of the relationships between tree rings and climate. The interannual growth variations were governed mainly by the temperature variables that preceded the growing season (November (negative influence), December-January (positive influence), and April (positive influence)). The growing-season temperature (July temperature) mainly influenced the northernmost populations. Relationships between tree rings and climate in the northeastern boreal forest varied at a large spatial scale. This variability was expressed by a north-south contrast, which appears to be related to a temperature gradient, and an east-west contrast linked to a humidity gradient, which favors winter snow cover.